


A Leap of Faith

by HeyItsValeria13



Category: Hamilton - Miranda (Broadway Cast) RPF, Lin-Manuel Miranda - Fandom
Genre: Cinnamonrollness of course, F/M, Falling In Love, Friendship/Love, Literally cannot come up with tags, Love Confessions, Love Triangles, Some Humor, Some Plot, college dorm au, fluff tho
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-20
Updated: 2019-06-19
Packaged: 2020-01-23 00:28:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18538597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeyItsValeria13/pseuds/HeyItsValeria13
Summary: You're in your first year at your dream college. You’re in a theater magnet, hoping to find an opportunity in the big biz. As you continue to figure yourself out, what you really want in life, or what you future holds, what will follow? Friends, drama, and the unexpected friendship that might just be not quite what you thought it to be.





	1. Only With Your Luck

**Author's Note:**

> Hey y'all. First of all, I am DEFINITELY not abandoning my story Twenty Seve. I just needed someone fresh and new to start on (and this definitely helped with my writer's block). I'm not sure what I'm gonna do with this one, but I definitely want to write more in the Hamilton fandom in the future. Please let me know what you think of it so far and what you would want to see more of in the future! I have a few one-shots in mind for the future for sure.

“You have all your stuff ready?”

“Yes, mom!” You called, precariously shouldering your last box of clothes into your SUV. “Let me just get my backpack and we’re all set.”

You ran back into the house you were renting out for the week and picked up your backpack. You went to the bathroom, washing your face and staring at your reflection. You looked so different compared to the girl you knew a four years ago.

You could barely believe it: You were off to a private university in Connecticut, of all places, to pursue your dream in “liberal arts” as they called it. Three years of intense studying, seclusion, and well-earned 4.0 GPA’s, you had gotten your acceptance email 6 months ago from Wesleyan University with a full scholarship. And they had a 22% acceptance rate. It doesn’t compare to the 5.6% acceptance rate from Harvard, but it was something.

Plus, you weren’t very interested in the courses schools like Harvard, Yale, Columbia, and even Cambridge had to offer. You had ignored your professors in you Dual-Enrollment years that insisted you would easily be able to get into any of them, including Cambridge, since you had successfully passed the program in your high school, or that you would have a successful career if people saw that on your resume. 

“And yes, that is including the prestigious Cambridge completion course certificate that YOU rightfully earned with your hard work,” they had added.

Instead, you had chosen the not-so-safe path of Theater as your magnet, hanging up your Cambridge certificate on your bedroom wall because of your love of Les Miserables when you first saw it at 8 years old. You knew you wanted to be in something as life-changing as revolutionary as Les Mis was for you. You wanted to make a change in someone’s life.

But, you always had your English elective, just in case. Your mom had insisted you took it so you had a safe alternative to your wild dream, and you did love teaching. It was the least boring alternative that your mom had come up with, so that was something.

“Come on, (Y/N), we don’t have time to waste!” Your mom called.

“Okay, okay, I’m coming!” You replied, shouldering your backpack and slipping into the front passenger seat. 

You took a deep breath as your mom started the engine, setting course for a two-hour drive to the next four years of your life.

\--

“First name, last name, and a high school student ID?” The polite R.A. asked as you finally reached the front of the registration line.

“(Y/N) (L/N), and um, when are we able to get our photos done for our IDs, if you don’t mind me asking? Because I’m not very proud of my current one.” You joked, flashing your embarrassing photo from high school quickly before shoving it in your pocket.

“That will be up to you. You can ask the front desk for more information, but I was able to do it two months into my first year. And who isn’t embarrassed about their high school photo?” the senior jabbed back, fixing his collar before extended your room keys and paper. “I’m Steven, by the way.”

“I would say my name again, but I already said it. Nice to meet you, Steven!” You shook his hand and took a few steps backward. “See you around?”

“I’ll see you around, (Y/N),” Steven smiled before turning his attention to another person in line.

You internally squealed to yourself. You had made one (kind of) friend already! 

As you walked away silently cheering yourself on for getting an acquaintance already, you made your way to your car and looked at your paper. Apparently, your roommate was someone named Jasmine C. Jones. Hopefully, she was nice. And there were apparently two more rooms in your area. With shared showers. Which did scare you, quite a lot?

“How was it?” Your mom got you out of your daze and came out of the car to open the trunk of the rented SUV.

“The guy that helped me was very nice,” you said cheerfully as you grabbed a suitcase with (most) of your clothing. “And my roommate is someone named Jasmine!”

“What’s she majored in?” Your mom took a peek into your paper as you grabbed another box for her. “Theater? I guess a lot of people are into acting around here!”

“I guess so,” you agreed, handing your mom the box, thankful that she had missed the part about the two other dorm rooms in your area. “Ready?”

“Yes, not to leave you by the way, but to help with your stuff,” your mom clarified with a sniff and choked cough afterward. You rolled your eyes playfully but you knew you would feel your own tears coming soon.

\--

Three hours later, with your air mattress and cabinets set up with the advantage of your roommate not arriving yet, you and your mother exchanged tearful goodbyes. After she left with the assured promise of a visit soon from you, you took some time to put a cover on your mattress and start organizing your clothes. You quickly became comfortable and put some headphones in as you sorted your other things. Not too soon after, you heard keys and your door opening.

“Hello!” you heard a gorgeous voice say as she closed the door with a sigh. 7ou knew immediately she was a singer.

As you turned around, she was even prettier than you had imagined her to be. You were immediately envious of her curls, and that wasn’t the only pretty thing about her.

“Hi!” You chirped, taking off your headphones as you took a seat on your bed, careful that none of your stuff was in the way. 

“You must be (Y/N), huh? Freshman?” she questioned.

“Yeah, and you’re a Soph?”

“Yup and that abbreviation are kinda fun,” She laughed as she took a look around the room. “Pretty nifty room we have.”

“Yeah, this dorm building is new, so luckily we got air conditioning and more room than most others do since we got the corner room,” you covered your mouth before you could spit out more pointless information. “Sorry, I just offer long explanations.”

“That makes two of us, thankfully!” She laughed as she dragged an air mattress to her side of the room. “I’m also glad I wasn’t the only one that brought an air mattress. I’m just really lazy and tired all the time. And that my roomie is a theater magnet also.”

“Well, my bed frame isn’t going to be arriving for a week or so, but I would be more than willing to help you when you’re rested! And hopefully, we have theater together,” you joked as you opened your mini fridge for a Coke. “Want one?”

“Yes, please. Thank you so much,” Jasmine sighed as she took one from your fridge. Although you offered her a spot on her bed, she opted to sit on the floor. “So, tell me about yourself.”

“What exactly do you want to know?” 

You watched her open her Coke and take a sip before answering.

“Just what you like, what you don’t. You seem pretty chill though, so I don’t see you disliking things very much. Unless it is absolute shit, I mean.”

You offered a small laugh, though cursing did make you a bit uncomfortable from time to time.

“Well, you would be pleasantly surprised to find out that I dislike many things,” you took a sip of your Coke as you gather your thoughts.

As you were about to open your mouth, you heard the room door burst open and four figures suddenly rushed in. You jumped out of bed, not-so-pleasantly surprised. Jasmine, though, seemed to recognize them, as she smiled and dragged you with her. You stared at the group confused as Jasmine cleared up.

“These are my friends. Zed, Pippa, Anthony, meet (Y/N). (Y/N), meet Zed, Pippa, and Anthony! Zed and Anthony and Pippa and another person will be staying in the other two rooms.” 

So these were your other roommates. Well, hallmates.

“Nice to meet you!” The girl, Pippa, with dark hair, gave you a tight hug. You could tell that she and Anthony were freshmen along with you. “We’re gonna go explore the campus soon. Wanna join us?”

“Well-” You got shot with puppy eyes from Jasmine, and you couldn’t just say no. “I guess I could walk around. But Jasmine and Zed better lead the group. I’m NOT getting lost on my first day before my actual first day.”

“Agreed,” Pippa laughed as the group headed out the door.

You had initially planned to only go around and explore with the group, but you found yourself spending the rest of your day with them. Everyone was so nice to you and you had a bunch of laughs. You knew you would be hanging out with them more often. 

You and Pippa had used your maps (with complaints from Jasmine saying that you didn’t trust her, even though she had mistaken the art building with the front desk) to find your way to the dining hall, flashing your embarrassing IDs before the granted entrance. 

As you grabbed yourself a grilled cheese sandwich and sparkling water, you felt someone bump into you, and a splash of something hot on your blouse.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry!” A man’s voice came into view as he furiously tried to dab with what you recognized as coffee on your shirt.

“No, it’s fine. But you’re kinda making it worse,” you eased him as you crossed your arms to cover it up. 

“Sorry,” he murmured for the fiftieth time.

As you actually took a look at the man who had caused it, you found that he was quite cute. Hot, actually. Strange enough, he was dressed in typical dad clothes, besides the leather jacket that made him look like a jock, though he didn’t seem much older than your group. He had the baggy jeans, the typical dad shoes, even the glasses. But you found them incredibly sexy on him. His hair was tied in a messy man bun, and you could tell he was well formed. Shit.

“Uh-It is, nop-problem!” You stammered as you finally realized you were staring. Out of the corner of your eye, you could see your friends trying not to laugh at you as you grabbed your tray of food again.

“Is there anything I could do?” He looked apologetic, and his hands were in his pockets, his heels rocking. It only added to the effect. But you could almost smell the nervousness radiating off of him.

Then, you had a genius idea as you eyed his leather jacket.

“Is it okay if I borrowed your jacket? To cover this stain.” You clarified at the brown stain on your plain white shirt. Damn you for wearing a white shirt out of all the clothes that you had.

“No problem, and I’m sorry again,” he laughed nervously as he took it off and, oh my god. Of course, he had no flaw on his body, he was literally an angel. Why did the universe do this to you? “I’m Lin, by the way.”

“(Y/N),” you took the jacket gratefully and put it on yourself. The scent of mint and the surprising coziness of the jacket made you relax greatly. “Um, when will I find you again?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll find you.” he smiled as he walked past your group of friends. “See you around, (Y/N).”

“See you!” You said meekly as you grabbed your tray of food again.

“Oh my god, he was flirting with you! And you were flirting with him! Do you even know who he is?” Jasmine squeaked as you made your way to a table with your food.

“He’s HOT, that’s what he is,” Pippa exclaimed as she took a seat next to you. “Unfortunately for me, Mr.Hot stuff had his eyes on you, girl!”

“Nah,” you crossed your arms, though you could feel a blush on your cheeks. “He was pretty cute tho.”

“But you do know he’s the English Language teacher’s intern this year, right?” Zed questioned you, taking his seat next to Pippa and slinging his arm across her shoulder. Shit.

“You’re not being serious are you?” You squeaked in alarm. There was no way, it was only with your luck.

“Hey, he’s only like a few years apart.” Jasmine winked suspiciously and you slapped her arm.

“I’m not about to seduce my English teacher’s intern!” You exclaimed.

“Mm, okay. But he seemed pretty into you.” She pointed at the leather jacket you were wearing.

“Whatever. Let’s eat, I’m starving,” you said, anxiously wanting a change of subject.

Fortunately, they all let it slide and you eventually found yourself back in your dorm room saying goodnight to your new friends.

“I’ll see you tomorrow!” Pippa gave you a quick hug before dashing down the hallway to her room.

“Goodnight!” You called back before finally shutting the door.

Jasmine was already knocked out cold, so you decided to take a quick shower and get all your things prepared. As you hopped into bed, the Lin guy immediately came into your mind. His man bun, his gorgeous smile, his dark features, and warm eyes. Something that could never be yours. 

You tried to convince yourself that you weren’t and shouldn’t push it any further. He would be only your English intern, and definitely nothing more.

Or would it?


	2. Bottles of Sunshine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Literally had too much candy the past few days... inspo for the chapter title! But I hope you enjoy this little chapter: a little more progression and just fun stuff. I really enjoy writing this, it's something I can relate to!

Harsh noise erupted around the room, and you groaned in disapproval as it hit your ears, waking you up from your first night in your dorm room. Leaning over, you smacked the alarm clock "snooze" button, thankful for the peace, but unwilling to admit that it was time to get up yet. But it was your first day, so you did have to get up. Eventually.

But hadn’t you just fallen asleep a few minutes ago? You let out a groan and let your hand cover your face, rubbing the sleep from your eyes. Rolling over, you leaned your head against the wall to look to Jasmine, her hair even poofier than normal, and who has not even stirred by the sharp, sudden noise of your alarm clock. She was an even deeper sleeper than you were.

You hopped out of bed and trudged your way to the bathroom, observing your appearance once you entered. You quickly got to work, although you did have some time before your class started. You decided to take a quick shower since the bathrooms were public to all the people on your floor. Thankfully, nobody was there, so you could take your shower in peace.

When you came back to your room, your hair wrapped in a tight towel, you noticed Jasmine and a figure sitting on her bed. The two shot up in surprise when they realized you were there, using a blanket to cover themselves. Oh.

You must’ve been in those showers way longer than you had initially thought.

“Um, I’m gonna… get ready s-somewhere else.” You excuse yourself, your face flushing with embarrassment. 

“Wait, (Y/N)!” Jasmine called you, opening the bathroom door, leaning against the doorframe with her shorts and a bralette intact. How she got on her clothes that fast, you had no idea. And her bralette was pretty distracting. “I’m sorry, I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable or anything.”

“I just don’t want to get in trouble.’ You willed your breathing to get calm. Rumors could spread fast. It just takes one wrong person to know.

“I won't tell anyone, I swear. He won't tell anyone,” she clarified and turned to you, the guy you noticed no longer in sight. “I can trust to you keep it a secret?”

She lifted her pinky finger in questioning. 

“If you promise you’ll never do it here again,” you emphasized the here, giving her a wink as she tried to maintain her smug look, “Deal?”

You approached her, giggling as you locked pinkies. “Promise.”

Jasmine breathed a sigh of relief and turned back to go into the room again. You saw her rummaging through a suitcase before pulling out a pair of ripped shorts and a tube top. Your eyes widened in shock.

“You’re gonna wear that for your first day?” You shrieked. You were definitely not into tube tops. They personally showed too much skin for you.

“Um, yeah?” She answered seemingly unconcerned, eyeing your outfit. “And you’re gonna wear that?”

You hugged your clothes in defense. You had chosen your favorite maroon long sleeved dress with some Toms. “They’re comfortable!”

“Yeah, if you’re going to church. Which isn’t bad at all. But let me help you!” Jasmine pleaded with you. “And, there is someone you do want to impress, mhm?”

“Fine, if you put something that won’t make everyone stare at you all day!” You huffed, and she just gave you a shrug in response. “And one more thing about Lin, and I swear.”

“If you insist!” Jasmine burst into laughter when you put your hands on your hips in a dramatization. “Keep on doing that, and you’re gonna ace theater!”

“Whatever you say, madam," you spoke in your best European accent. "Let's see what you've got!"

\--

30 minutes later, you barely even recognized yourself when you looked at Jasmine’s final product. She has chosen a cream blouse that you were initially going to wear for your future internship with sheer sleeves with a pastel blue wide-legged dress pants. You had first argued that this is something you would normally wear, but she popped a few buttons down your blouse, which made it become more of a V neck. She also tucked your blouse into your dress pants and added some of your trusty FILA disruptors to the mix.

She had also insisted on doing your makeup and hair. She has straightened and curled it, putting your hair in a high ponytail to show off all your waves. And, as if she wanted you to be even more completely unrecognizable, she added a heavy layer of makeup (especially your wing liner). But you did have to admit you liked the nude eyeshadow she did.

“Holy shit.” You gasped as you observed yourself from the mirror. And holy shit seemed like the appropriate sentence for all of it. You touched your cheek to make sure you were still a living thing.

“Right? You’re gonna be irresistible!” Jasmine squealed, her own outfit just slightly less exposing. She had chosen a retro yellow T-Shirt (you insisted to tuck it in instead of doing a knot) with a checkered skirt, but you had to admit she looked good as well.

“I wouldn’t say irresistible, but I don’t look exhausted, so that’s something!” You slightly agreed with her statement.

“Stop being modest girl,” She grabbed Lin’s leather jacket off your bed and slid it on you. “There you go.”

The jacket somehow made you look better, and you were pleasantly surprised. And it somehow still smelled like mint and coffee, which helped you relaxed. Jasmine sneaked her arms around your shoulders as you stared at the two of you in the mirror. You were way more stressed out than you had initially thought you would be. But this was huge: you’re very first semester. You had to make a good impression.

“I can tell your stressed. What’s wrong, hon?” Jasmine questioned.

“Nothing, just nervous for my classes.”

“Do you have your schedule yet? I just wanna see if I have any classes with you, especially English. You know, for moral support.” She teased.

“Shut up,” you grumbled, heading back to your room and grabbing your schedule from your backpack. “Okay, do you have Mr.West 3rd hour?”

Jasmine’s eyes widened. “Yes!”

You pretended to roll your eyes when she tackled you in a hug, but you were happy you would see her. You gladly gave her a side hug in return. After the fond moment, Jasmine took a long look into your schedule, comparing it to her own.

“You’re not going to believe me, but we also had theater together for the first hour.”

“This is set up. Which administrator do you have around your finger?” You exclaimed.

“None, I swear!” Jasmine insisted, but you pretended to not believe her.

“Whatever, Jazz,” You mocked, grabbing your backpack and shoving your schedule in your backpack. “Wanna get breakfast?”

“I thought you’d never ask!” She agreed, grabbing her own backpack and wrapping her arm around yours. “Coffee, here we go!”

\--

After a light muffin and coffee (with no sight of Lin, much to your disappointment...), you talked with Jasmine at the cafe she took you to and opened up about your childhood. You found that her childhood in Brooklyn was way more interesting with yours, and with a bunch more relationship (like you’ve ever had a real one). You did explain your first ‘boyfriend’ but that was technically for a fifth-grade dance. You couldn’t hold back a laugh when she told you about her first job delivering pizzas and a guy trying to hit on her. 

After a half hour, you agreed to meet up with Pippa and you eventually found yourself at the dining hall again. With the thought of Lin showing up making your heart flutter. Though you would have to give his jacket back if he did.

“So!” Pippa offered, dressed in a black and green striped jumpsuit, which she looked gorgeous in. No surprise. “We have our little theater trio intact for now, and I wish you luck with Mr.Hot Stuff in the 3rd hour. And third, that jacket looks sexy as fucking hell on you. Lin is going to come, like five times. I promise.”

You immediately regretted putting on that jacket as soon as you enter campus from breakfast. You’d been getting long glances from the guys and stone glares from cliques of girls. But you ignored them pretty well or shrugged your jacket in defiance, which made them cower a bit.

“Pippa!” You squealed, covering your face with your hands. “That’s not helping my imagination, you know.”

“You should see the skit he did with The Skivvies last year. It was a fucking hit with all the girls when the video showed up,” Jasmine winked at you suggestively. “The rendition of ‘Hey Ya’ was iconic.”

“And those Ninja Turtle joggers. UGH. The way he gyrated his hips-”

“Oh my god, stop!” They were just trying to get you flustered, huh? “But, can you send me that video?”

“Oh I see, Lin’s your lover-boy hm?” Pippa grinned ear to ear at you. “And yes, I will be sure to send you that tonight. You know, while you dream about him.”

“Thanks, but he’s not my lover-boy!” You tried to convince her, but neither of them was having it.

“Mhm. Well, you’re gonna have to return that to him sooner or later, you know.” Jasmine took a sip of her coffee, stating it matter-of-factly.

“Yes, I know.” Your ears started turning red, and Pippa couldn’t even hold her giggle.

“Oh come on, (Y/N)! Just come up to him and be like ‘Thanks for letting me use your jacket. Wanna hang out sometime?’” Pippa suggested.

“But he’s the intern…” you tried to use some sort of an excuse, but that sounded very weak, even to you. Who was an expect with coming up with excuses.

“Fine, fine.” Pippa raised her hand in defense. “Just try it, okay?”

“Okay, I’ll see what I could do.” You promised and the two of you gave a small smile.

“Good!” Jasmine smiled. “Now let’s go to see what theater is all about.”

The auditorium was, quite surprisingly, very large. You, Pippa, and Jasmine found a seat once you had located Steven, the R.A. from moving day. The four of you made small talk until the bell rang and the teacher arrived. The teacher herself was pleasant enough and told you guys ahead of time about a Greek monologue project for this semester. She said it would be a group of 2 to 5 people (you shared a glance to the group of you, all nodding) and it would be presented to the class before winter break.

Your Calculus class was quite a different story. You almost fell asleep 3 times from the lecture. But you managed to get through those torturing 60 minutes and rushed to meet Jasmine in your English class. You suddenly remembered Lin would be there, so you started to take your time, talking to Steven for a bit when you caught up to him from him exiting his US government class.

In the two minutes you talked, you had found out that he had also turned down a scholarship to Cambridge like you to study theater. You opened up to him about your own experiences with Cambridge, telling him about the only class you had failed in that program. 

“And it was all because Mr.Benavole played World of Warcraft and didn’t teach our class anything! Zip, zap splat, dippity dash, zilch, zero. Nothing.” 

“Dippity dash, huh?” Steven tried to keep a straight face, but a few seconds later you were struggling to breathe and clutching your stomach from how hard you were laughing.

Unbeknownst to you, you had started approaching the door to your English class, and Lin had seen you. While he was talking to another student at the door. And his eyes were wide and his ears were beet red from the sight of you. But then, he had seen Steven.

He had quickly looked away and turned his attention to the girl when you noticed him, and you were also struggling to compose anything other than a choked gasp.

He was so utterly sexy. God dammit.

It didn’t help that he was dressed in a grey blazer and a dark blue button-down. It also didn’t help that it tucked in his original baggy jeans, his hair in his man bun and his hands shoved in his pockets. Steven must’ve noticed you staring, and probably the fact that you had stopped in your tracks, your mouth agape.

“That’s the guy, huh,” he smirked at you. “Lin?”

“Yep.”

“Well, I should be going. Good luck!” He shoved you towards the doorway.

“Wait-!” Steven had already run off, shooting you a thumbs up before disappearing down the hallway.

When you turned around again, he was no longer at the door, the door still in the process of closing, so it must’ve been recent. As you figured out what to say to him as you reluctantly entered the classroom, you found that he was already in a deep conversation with a girl that wasn’t sitting too far from where he was sitting. But you knew she was pretty. And looked like every mean girl you’ve met in high school: Her vans and tight skirt (even tighter than Jazzy’s) and her almost crop top. 

When she put a manicured hand on his shoulder, her amber eyes boring into his and her pink hair only adding to the effect, he gave her a small smile. For a moment he caught your eyes, and his expression turned into panic. But you couldn’t bear to torture yourself with watching. 

Her back was soon turned to you, but it still didn’t matter. He probably was already interested in her long ago. You willed your breathing to calm. You didn’t even realize you were marching up the steps to where Jasmine was sitting, or when she smiled at you. You weren’t comprehending that you were opening and slamming the door, running down the hallway. You were just desperate to escape your ever-growing nightmare to until you heard someone shouting at you.

“(Y/N)! What’s wrong?” 

“I told you he wasn’t interested in me. He thinks I’m a weirdo, I’m sure of it. He just felt bad for me, and now he’s ignoring me,” you weren’t even sure why there were tears pricking you because of a person you don’t even know, but you couldn’t find yourself to care. “He’s probably interested in girls like her.”

“You mean Olivia? He isn’t interested in whores, trust me. She was just getting too friendly while asking a useless question so she could have an excuse to flirt with him. She’s been trying that since his junior year when they first split.” Jasmine clarified, but she could tell it didn’t help you feel much better.

“They were together?”

“Not really, they just hooked up at a party, but she claimed they were an item. But, I’ve almost never seen him with anyone longer than a night, so I find that pretty unlikely.” Jasmine

“Right… And how many girls has he dated?” You felt your stomach start to churn. 

“Um, he hasn’t dated anyone at this school when he was a student. But only one girl managed to dig a little deeper. But that was his high school sweetheart, and now she’s married.”

“How do you know all of this anyway?” You scoffed.

“I have my guy connections.” She stated casually, her arm resting on your shoulder. “Don’t worry,

“Oh. I don’t know why I’m getting so upset over someone that was never meant to be mine. Giving someone a jacket doesn’t mean anything.”

“(Y/N), I’m sure it’s not like that. He didn’t look very happy when you ran out of there anyway.”

“Wait, what do you mean?” You looked to Jasmine for an answer.

“Well, while you were about to run off, I eavesdropped a little. He seemed pretty uncomfortable and highkey rejected her, for the 50th time, especially when she smirked as you ran off. He just brushed her hand off and he’s wondering why you ran off. While looking like a three-course meal!”

“Yeah, sure.” You grumbled, upset that you were getting so worked up over this. Though her joke made you feel a bit better. You hear the bell chime. “Let’s just get to class.”

“Did you just admit you like him?” Jasmine’s eyes followed yours as you entered the classroom, on the girl who had been with Lin. You silently counted to 15 as you speed-walk to your sets, the classroom completely silent except for your feet hitting the wooden stairs.

And then you saw your professor entering the classroom.

“Good afternoon,” his British accent caught you off guard, and also the fact that he didn’t look much older from Lin. You expected a guy with a last name like his to be some sort of older guy. “I assume you guys are just anxious to get out of here for lunch, so let’s make this as quick as possible.”

You slowly leaned to Jasmine as you whispered, “Maybe I do like him. Maybe I don’t. But I wouldn’t mind undressing that button down. Not going to lie.”

Jasmine had to clamp her mouth shut from squealing to loud as the professor continued to talk.

You kept yourself busy by grabbing your laptop from your bag, keeping your eyes on the professor and trying not to laugh. But all you imagine was your hands tracing Lin’s lean physique, your hands in his gorgeous long silky hair. No impure thoughts!

You opened up a google doc as the professor started a very boring lecture, which he did admit it would be only for today, trying to steal a glance of Lin from time to time. 

The whole thing felt like something you would do with one of your middle school crushes, but you couldn’t find yourself to care as you admired him from afar. How he added additional commentary to make the thing more bearable. Or how he dealt with the already annoying kids in a calm tone, which was very mature of him. 

When you caught his eye in the middle of class though, your whole body froze, clenched in fear of him calling you out. His small smile that he had on during the class grew into the widest possible grin, resonating through his body and his eyes. His warm, goddamn sparkling eyes. You managed to give him a small wave, shouldering his jacket and shrugging your shoulders. He made a small waving gesture and a wink, and you could feel your cheeks grow in warmth. And you were sure he was fully aware of your glances lingering from where you were sitting, so that was something.

And then the class was over. Shit, you weren’t paying attention at all to what the professor was saying. You looked at your open google doc, and it seemed like it was already full, but you didn’t remember writing anything. You turned to Jasmine, who just shrugged nonchalantly and pointed at her document. She had shared it with you. You shook out of your Lin-fogged daze and numbly followed her movements, silently thanking her while speed-walking behind her with the hopes that Jasmine doesn’t stop you in front of Lin.

But instead of taking the sharp right out the door, she turned left and started heading toward Lin. She seemed to have a short conversation with him before beckoning you over. Lin had a playful smirk on his face, and you silently wondered what she had said. Only one way to find out.

As you took the dreaded walk down the stairs, you ran through all the bad things that could happen. Tease you that you were still wearing your jacket? Demand you give it back? Or maybe Jasmine told him you had a big crush on him and reviles you? You chewed your lip nervously as Jasmine turned around, grinning as she saw you.

“There’s my bestie!” She cheered, wrapping her arms around you as you came within her reach. 

Lin’s smile seemed to have grown even wider as he caught your eye. “Hey (Y/N)! I wasn’t expecting to see you in this class, so I was pleasantly surprised to see you here!”

“Um, yeah, I’m here. Though I have to sit next to this weirdo the whole year, apparently.” you over-exaggerated a groan, wrapping your arms around Jasmine and rolling your eyes behind her back. 

“Meanie!” She shot back, but she was grinning like crazy as you laughed out loud.

But when Lin laughed along with the two of you, oh goodness. His laugh was infectious as fuck. And of course the way his lips curved up and his dimples showed in the sexiest way when he laughed. And his nose scrunched up in the cutest way that made you want to pinch his cheeks. You had to turn away before he noticed your face covered in a deep blush.

“I’m sure it won’t be too bad. Jasmine won’t complain.” Lin grinned. Was that a… compliment.

“I guess so! I’m pretty great, anyway.” You cooed, enjoying the conversation, but a little meek from how gorgeous he looked when he was laughing.

Jasmine shot you a knowing look before hearing the bell ring. “Well, we better be taking our lunch break. See you later?”

You shot Jasmine a questioning look before Lin responded with a, “You know it!”

“We’ll see you soon, then!” Jasmine grinned, grabbing your arm to lead you to the door.

“Um, see you-” You went with Jasmine, but you felt a tug on your (his) jacket before turning around to face him again. Jasmine gave you a wickedly fiendish smile before abandoning you with him. 

“Everything alright?” You questioned him, he seemed incredibly nervous. And he was eyeing your jacket. “Oh, you need your jacket. Thank you so much for letting me use it!”

He scratched the back of his head quickly before mustering up his words. “That’s no problem, but I don’t want it back.”

“What?” your voice was masked with confusion.

“I want you to keep it, (Y/N),” he leaned closer to you, his hot breath hitting your face and his hand on your back, gripping the jacket lightly. “The jacket looks phenomenal on you, anyway. I couldn’t compare.”

He winked at you, his own light blush on his cheeks and ears, matching your own. His free hand traced up your arm and rested on the crook of your neck, brushing your earlobe. You found yourself leaning into his touch, your hand gripping his shoulder for some sort of support. Probably to help you not faint. Lin leaned in closer, and his mouth ghosted over your ear, his warm breath coursing through your body.

“Jesus, you’re eyes are beautiful,” you breathed, feeling Lin’s mouth quirk into a grin against you. His goddamn warm brown eyes, which were becoming darker by the second. “Did I say that aloud?”

“Maybe!” His grin quickly turned into a laugh. His infectious-as-fuck laugh, back at it again. “I appreciate the compliment though. You’re quite red right now.”

“I’m embarrassed! I didn’t mean to say it aloud!” - “You’re still cute when you’re flustered.” - “Not helping!”

The two of you just kinda sat there, resting into a comfortable position, yet awkward silence.

“Anyway,” Lin cleared the air, “I’ll see you later, (Y/N). I did promise I would find you anyway, huh?”

“You’re absolutely correct, professor jr.”

“Oh god, don’t say that again!” Lin cringed, putting his hand to his head. You immediately missed his warmth.

“Haha, got you!” You cooed, running out the door and skipping like a fifth grader with candy.

“See you!” He yelled out of the classroom door, noticing Jasmine was there. The look on Jasmine’s face when all the commotion happened was priceless. He immediately cleared his throat before replying in a quieter voice, “You too, Jasmine.”

It took all your willpower not to giggle like the basic girl you had in you before running to catch up with Jasmine, who was en route to the dining hall, once again. You checked your phone, turning the camera on to find that your face was redder than a strawberry. But your makeup hadn’t sweated off, yet. That was a plus.

“What did he say?!” Jasmine silently shrieked once you were out of earshot from anyone. “You guys were so close to one another, holy Jesus. I thought you were gonna kiss.”

“You were peeking through the door?!” You exclaimed. You were too caught up in the little cloud the two of you shared those few moments.

“Duh! But I couldn’t hear much, because you were whispering like maniacs to each other.”

“Oh shut up!” You smiled, feeling your cheeks warm from the memory.

“Okay, so what did he say?! I’m dying to know girl!” Jasmine jumped up and down, grabbing your arm in the process.

“He said I could keep the jacket,” you said, and paused Jasmine before she could celebrate even more with, “And he fucking said that I looked great in it!”

She couldn’t hold back her squeal, and neither could you. For a minute it seemed like you were just screaming at each other happily, which earned you some confused looks from people walking down that hallway. The two of you eventually calmed down, finding your now regular table in the dining hall with Pippa and your friends with their brows furrowed. Probably because of you and Jasmine’s wide grins.

“Something good must’ve happened?” Pippa asked, seeming to be almost concerned for your well being.

“Lin said I looked great in this jacket and I could keep it!” You squealed precariously.

What was even your life? It sounded surreal even saying it.

“Oh my god, spill the tea now.” She pounded her hands on the table, folding her arms so her chin was resting on her first.

You did eventually explain everything that happened. Including the intimate moment between the two of you, which received whoops of excitement from Steven surprisingly. Zed seemed chill about it, probably since he revealed they were close buds last year. Jasmine was just more expressive with her excitement. And Anthony seemed genuinely scared you and Jasmine were high on some sort of candy. But you couldn’t agree more… what was even going on!? This all felt like some sort of fever dream you would have… but you hoped it wouldn’t end anytime soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and kudos always welcomed and appreciated. Thank you for reading!


	3. Fortresses and Solitude

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I HAVE ARISEN FROM THE DEAD. ok first of all hi how are ya. Currently in Detroit, although the chances are slim of encountering Lin again. Though, I thoroughly enjoyed his Part Three of his freestyling game on Jimmy Fallon ft. Black Thought, it’s insane (includes the White House and chancletas). But anyway, kinda been MIA since after finals because 1. Took the life out of me 2. My Ariana Grande concert got canceled because she had a tomato allergy, and I had been looking forward to that the whole year because I got vip passes and it was on the last day of school so it was gonna be awesome 3. Traveling and with my best friends and family, so aka lots of theme parks and blue raspberry freezies 4. MY COVETED PIECE OF TECHNOLOGY (aka my laptop) BROKE AND GOOGLE DOCS WILL NEVER BE THE SAME ON AN IPAD THEN ON A LAPTOP. I’ll be updating 27 soon, but I wanna spend as much time enjoying my break from school before I have to enter an era called high school. But, I’ll be back to posting once I have the time and patience to fix it lmao.

“Aw, pleaaase!” Pippa begged.

You were shot at once with puppy eyes from Jasmine after Pippa’s more-than-excessive pleading. You sighed deeply, setting aside your textbooks and turning to them. 

You were currently having a mini study session with them a fort between you and Jasmine’s bed. To your surprise, it had managed to remain intact after an intense pillow fight session. It was going surprisingly well, and you were halfway done reviewing the notes.

You could tell how tired they were during the whole session, though, even following the pillow fight. The only time that they looked wide awake was when you told them how you felt around Lin. After their persistence on him, constant wide eyes when he waves at you in the dining hall, or spying when you talk to him in English, there wasn’t really any way to deflect.

“So, you like him? For sure, right?” Pippa squealed. Her eyes were shining and you could tell she was about to explode.

“I mean, I thought it was obvious enough,” you grumbled. “He’s kind, a good intern, really smart, and it doesn’t hurt that he’s cute.” 

“I’d say hot is the appropriate term for him,” Jasmine winked, and you rolled your eyes. “Oh, the things girls would do to him if he was interested in them. Hell, I would climb him like a tree-“

“Oh my god. Jasmine!”

“I can't argue with her statement,” Pippa giggled. “There are lots of girls that would love to be where you’re at with him. He talks to you in the dining hall, for God’s sake.”

“That’s called being polite! Plus, he talks to lots of other girls too, not just me,” you countered.

“Well, alright. But you can’t deny that he does talk to you a lot in English, more so than the other kids, especially yesterday,” Jasmine pointed out, bowl of popcorn balanced carefully on her hand. “Remember?”

Of course, she knew she didn’t need an answer to that. You could recall it as clear as day. But you hadn’t admitted to everything that had happened.

—

You had studied until four in the morning the previous night, and you were totally screwed. It didn’t help that you slept through your alarm, and Jasmine had to run out earlier than normal for extracurricular classes. It also didn’t help that the shower heater wasn’t working for your building, or that you didn’t even have time to make yourself breakfast (or even coffee). 

Instead, you had stumbled out of your dorm room in sweats and a hoodie, running across the campus to get to your theater class before your teacher noticed you were late. You barely avoided bumping into people at least 5 times, praying that you weren’t too late. Walking into the auditorium, though, it had seemed your teacher had been in the middle of talking, and everyone had their eyes on you as you speed-walked to your group of friends. Needless to say, it was embarrassing. Especially since you were never tardy to class (rather, much more often you were ten minutes early).

“Late? That’s a first,” Steven tried a smile, but it disappeared when you let your hoodie fall down. “Woah.”

“Holy shit, are you okay?” Pippa whisper-screamed, examining your face. “You look like you got knocked down by a train multiple times- no offense.”

“None taken,” you groaned, rubbing the lingering exhaustion out of your eyes. “Bad morning, that’s all.”

“Yeah, we’ve all been through it, too.” Jasmine rummaged through her backpack, triumphantly pulling out a granola bar. “Take it, it’ll help.”

“You’re a lifesaver, Jas,” you thanked her weakly as you pulled the wrapping away. You were trying your best to pay attention while eating, but you were lost as your teacher rambled. “What exactly is she getting at?” 

“Don’t worry, we’ll cover. Use the restroom,” Steven suggested. “You need it.”

“I’ll be back, then.” You smiled a thanks, speed-walking out the door.

Finally reaching the bathroom was heaven. As you finished your granola bar, you remembered having a makeup bag with you, luckily, so it would be simple to actually look decent. You decided on applying a light layer of concealer for the fairly noticeable darkness under your eyes and a little mascara. It would help you feel and look more awake, at least. The eyeshadow was just a bonus.

Looking at the final product, you felt your confidence rising. Sure, your day had gone pretty rough at first, but you could do this! The grin that accompanied your thought made you feel better as well. And, at least you were comfortable! Sweats and a hoodie were common, anyway. 

As you put the items back in the bag, though, you noticed the bathroom door sliding open. You didn’t pay much attention to it… at least, until you felt a sharp pain in your calves. And your butt hit the ground.

“Oops! I’m so sorry.” A sarcastic voice came from above you, and one look at the girl’s hot pink sneakers your mood sank down. Literally.

“Olivia, you gotta stop being so clumsy! Someone might actually get hurt!” You brought yourself to meet her at eye level, your tone matching her one. 

You weren’t sure how you snapped back at her, but she didn’t seem to take it well. She inched forward toward you, her hand clutching your backpack. You hadn’t realized she had you cornered until you feel your back hit the wall.

“Better be careful yourself, sweetie,” Olivia sneered at you, lifting your backpack higher. “Stay away from Lin, or you’re not gonna be this lucky.”

“Right, like you own him.” Your triumphant smile must’ve caught her off guard, as you took the opportunity to clutch your backpack back. 

That didn’t seem to phase her as much. “Well, I dated him for a while, so I definitely know more than you do.” 

“Okay, it doesn’t seem like you’re dating him right now though? People change, and you’re not able to control him or his actions,” you pointed out, crossing your arms around your chest. “Plus, he doesn’t seem to be interested in anyone right now. See you.”

You practically ran out of that bathroom. How could you not? She had threatened you, and it wasn’t the petty, dismissable kind. You didn’t want to find out what she had planned either, but, she had acted like Lin was her possession. That wasn’t right.

You just had to talk to your friends. Maybe they could advise you on how to deal with people like Olivia anyway. It wasn’t like you dealt with girls like her in your small town, if anyone acted on their emotions, it wouldn’t take long for word to spread. Keeping your mouth shut was best.

You were apparently so torn between this, that you weren’t watching where you were going. The half-running didn’t help, either. You didn’t even get to see what hit you when you turned down the hallway, the rest went black. When you opened your eyes, you were on the floor once again, a sharp pain now not only on your calves, but your back. And a figure standing above you.

Oh no. It wasn’t…

“Shit, are you okay, (Y/N)?” 

It was. The gorgeously disheveled Puerto Rican and his warm eyes washed in worry. His dark hair tied in a ponytail, something new, but you found endearing. Goddamnit, it was only with your look he was able to wear a grey sweater and baggy jeans so well. His attractive physique and everything else that made your knees feel weaker than they already were.

“Y-yes, I think so.” Hell, great response (Y/N)!

“Let me help you,” Lin cautiously reached for you sleeve, pulling you up slowly only when you rested your hand on his arm in an affirmative. “You sure you alright?”

“Well, it seems we have a knack for bumping into each other, so I’m not as shaken up.” You teased as you regained your balance, but it seems to relieve him immediately.

“Right, I really need to work on that,” Lin laughed, but it seemed forced and- may you dare to say- a little nervous. “I owe you.”

“Why? It was only an accident anyway,” you felt your grip subconsciously tightening on his arm, and you shivered when you felt him lean into your touch. You felt him take in a ragged breath of his own, and you whispered, “Is everything alright?”

“Yeah, just a bit winded from that fall!” - “Wow, I feel so much better from that now, thanks Lin.” - “I didn’t mean it like that, (Y/N). Now you’re making ME feel like the guilty one.” - “Oh, whoops!”

The two of you laughed nervously at your sarcastic attempt of being casual. But you felt Lin’s forehead lean on yours, and you lost your train of thought. Flashbacks of the small moment the two of you shared in your English class raced through your mind and you glanced up to him. His eyes were closed for a moment before your breath hitched like the lovesick kid you were, his eyes opening blearily.

“I would say your eyes are pretty again, but that sounds a teeny bit overused now.”

Lin cracked a wide grin. “Well, my eyes are pretty fabulous.”

You giggled like the pathetic girl you were. “I can’t deny that, to be honest.” 

You felt Lin slowly back away from you, and you already longed for his warmth. Instead, you shouldered your backpack and turned up to him. His hair was back to his shoulders, his hair tie on his arm. Soon enough, you watched as Lin struggled putting his hair back in a ponytail, trying not to laugh as he settled on a bun.

“Sorry, it’s hard to tame this beast,” Lin chuckled. “I should probably cut it sooner or later.” 

“Why, it looks great on you! Plus, I would kill for my hair to be as healthy as yours.” You pouted, biting your tongue from trying to say more than you needed to.

“I guess so,” he checked his watch, his eyes widened. “Oh shit, I better get going. I’ll come up with something to make it up to you.”

“You really don’t need to. Honest. It was my fault for bumping into you, I wasn’t watching where I was going after Olivia confronted me in-” You clamped your mouth shut, your eyes as wide as saucers,

“Wait, Liv said something to you? What did she say?” Lin had become worried in a heartbeat, gripping your shoulders tightly.

“Nothing relevant.” The look he was giving you made your heartbeat stop, only for a moment.

You felt Lin sighing for a moment, but he seemed to remember he had to get going. He let go of your shoulders, telling you something about talking to him later in class, and stormed down the hall. You stood there, trying to comprehend what the hell actually happened, before remembering you had your own class to get to. 

Walking back into the auditorium, you insisted you were fine to your friends when they asked. Repeatedly, though you weren’t sure they had bought it. You couldn’t stop thinking about it though, even when your class ended, or in your math class. You absentmindedly did your study notes in English, trying to keep your eyes on your papers. You felt Lin’s eyes on you the entire session though.

You anticipated the worst as the bell rang, clutching your binder like a shield as your turned in your notes. You attempted to make a run after Jasmine, but you felt a familiar arm on yours. You gently turned around to see Lin, his expression somehow neutral as he asked to talk to you outside.

As Lin closed the door behind you, his expression changed immediately into one of exasperation, desperation, and anger that made you cower.

“Tell me everything that happened. Now.” 

“I told you, nothing relevant. I handled her,” you insisted, nervous of that dangerous gleam in his eyes.

“Listen (Y/N), I see the way she looks at you. She only gives people the look of keen interest to people she wants to ruin. It is just for your safety,” his voice softened, grabbing your shoulder reassuringly. “Please.”

“I-I can’t, Lin. If I tell you anything, that’ll make it worse. Besides, I can handle her.”

You must’ve come out wrong, because his facial expression tightened profoundly. “You don’t know what Liv could do to you, I’ve seen it. She tortures, humiliates,” with each word, his grip on his shoulder tightened. “If she finds you an enemy, she’ll destroy you, make sure everyone hates you-“

“Lin!” You whimpered, his grip on you had been excruciating. 

He immediately reciprocated. “Shit, are you hurt?”

“I’m fine,” your tone sharpened. “I can handle myself.”

Lin frowned. “I never said you couldn’t, it’s just that I’m worried. She’s never been this insistent about someone before-”

“Well, don’t underestimate me. I’ll come to you if I wanna get help,” you were being truthful, but you couldn’t believe that Lin was this worried. It was just a girl jealous of you. For some odd reason. “Can you trust me?”

He looked up for a moment, almost as if he was silently praying, before sighing. “Fine. But if she threatens you or lays a hand on you, I’m taking action. Whether you like it or not.”

“Alright.”

“Look, I’m sorry for being angry like that. I just - I really don’t want you to be hurt by Liv. You don’t deserve it, (Y/N),” his arms resumed their old spot, except massaging your skin.

“I understand, but I want to handle this on my own. If I’m no longer able to, then of course I’ll go to you, but also my friends,” you murmured, leaning into his touch. “I think I’ll be one as long as my friends have my back.”

Lin offered a small smile. “Yeah, Jasmine and Pippa are pretty badass.”

“Definitely.”

You felt Lin’s arms wrap around your waist, and you could barely breathe when he pulled you into an embrace. Hell, you were angry at him two seconds ago, but that all crumbled. His warmth enveloped you in heaven, his aroma calming you. If you chose to relive one moment forever, it wouldn’t definitely be in this.

You were almost sorry when you pulled away, hearing Jasmine calling you.

“I should go. Thank you, Lin,” You waved. “For everything.”

“Of course, always,” Lin smiled, and you could admit that you enjoyed his eyes on you as you met up with Jasmine and entered the dining hall.

—

“That was a different situation, Jasmine,” you countered. “And also, there is something I need to tell you. I didn’t tell you everything that happened.”

“What do you mean?” Pippa glanced at you. “Everything okay?”

It took you time to explain it. Going through that memory twice was taking its toll, but they deserved to know. They had every right to, in fact. You weren’t sure what they thought of it, by the end of it they were both in silence.

“Well… I honestly wish you had told us sooner, but I understand your fear. But Lin has some truth to what he was saying,” Jasmine was the first one to speak up. “She’s ruined countless reputations while I’ve been here, I think you should be worried.”

“But you don’t think I can handle this alone?” You could hear the hurt in your own voice.

“It’s not like that, girl. Liv is not only bad, but she’s good at it,” Pippa reasoned. “Jas has told me about it before.”

“I just don’t want to talk about it right now. Please.”

Jasmines eyebrows furrowed“(Y/N), I know-” 

“No, you really don’t. Please, just not now.”

You were sure they could see the silent threat of another pillow fight.

You couldn’t blame them for being worried though. You had spend the entire afternoon studying for your World Religion class (the only other class you three shared with one another) and now you had revealed this? It was another huge bombshell, and you could tell they were exhausted enough already. You had put them through a lot. 

By then, there wasn’t much else to the conversation. You didn’t even try to start resuming the study session before giving up and opting to snacking on junk food. You had been in the middle of a story about a time you stole a little kid’s cookie, but you had insisted to continue studying, which got a few mixed reactions. 

“Come on, the test is in two weeks, and it isn’t even about Christianity!” Jasmine complained. “Let’s watch a movie now, it’s going to be fine. Those tests are usually easy.”

“Well, I guess I will allow one, buuut I’m choosing.”

“Which one?” Pippa scooted closer to the TV.

“You Again!” You already had a grin on your face just from saying the movie’s name.

“Never heard of it, but I’ll give it a try.” Jasmine said, sounding relieved.

You excitedly got the disc from under your bed (yes, they are still a thing) and popped it into the DVD player. But not even 15 minutes into it, they started to sidetrack their side conversation, that being big critics of the movie. You were relieved at first–you loved the movie to death, and you were tired of countering their comments–but the new topic was less than interesting to you.

“Ugh, why are you guys so interested in this frat party lifestyle?” you groaned. “And why did you pause the movie? The dance lesson scene was just getting good!”

“It’ll be tons of fun!” Pippa said, bombarding her popcorn with extra chocolate syrup. “We can go shopping for supplies after our classes tomorrow and we can make our outfits after. Besides, it will be our first weekend here in Wesleyan, at least have a little celebration!”

She did have a point. This week had been way more than you had expected, and you were pretty happy with where it was all going. Well, other than Liv. But a frat party as a celebration?

“I’d rather sleep in my fort.” you huffed, pressing play on your remote and shoving a handful of popcorn in your mouth.

“Yeah right, like you don’t all day.” Jasmine sighed, but like Pippa, she seemed too tired to argue with you.

“But what fun is a costume party with cheap beer and drunk sororities and frats?”

“Lin will be there!” Pippa cooed, and you wish you could’ve stopped the squeak that came out of your mouth before you could even comprehend it.

“Really?” You exclaimed. 

“Yup, he always makes an appearance at the frat houses,” Jasmine added. “Plus, I did mention it to him during 5th hour. He said he was gonna go as a supervillain!”

You were taken aback. Jasmine never seemed to want to talk to him alone, since she always hung with you when he did approach you. She definitely did not know privacy, but when had you not been looking?

“Oh, my god, you could go as Harley Quinn!” Pippa squealed in excitement. Or maybe from her sugar rush, you couldn’t tell. “She’s the ultimate duo to any bad guy.”

You had to admit, though, it sounded a little fun. Maybe too much fun if you drank more than you should, but making outfits did seem exciting. It didn’t hurt that Lin would be there as well. 

“Well... now that I think about it, I won’t have enough movies to last me the weekend. Maybe cheap beer won’t be too bad,” you admitted, and Jasmine and Pippa cheered.

“That’s all it took for you to say yes,” Jasmine mused, sharing an unreadable glance with Pippa. “But we better be going to sleep soon, because I’m going to fall asleep to this trash of a movie eventually.”

“Girl, I have to agree with Jazzie on this one. The pimples in that one high school scene are bringing back too many memories.” Pippa laughed.

“Meanies. Kristen Bell is the best!” you countered.

“Keep telling yourself that,” Pippa curled up into her blanket, setting aside her popcorn. You could tell she was exhausted.

“Fine, let’s get some rest. But we will be finishing this sooner or later.”

“Alright,” Jasmine yawned, grabbing a throw pillow. “But we have that study group to go to tomorrow, remember?”

You considered this for a moment. You did want to go to that study session, but if you were going to look appealing… well, let’s just say you would need all the time you could get. But it wasn’t for Lin–not at all. Yep.

“How about we cancel on that. We already studied enough for that test. And-” you added as you scooted closer to them, “-you’re right, I do study too much. But Mrs. Riali might sneak in an extra credit question, you never know.”

“You’re the best, (Y/N)!” Pippa cheerfully threw an arm around you. “How ‘bout I get some Wawa for you guys for tomorrow? Hoagies and large sodas are exactly what we need if we’re going shopping tomorrow afternoon.”

“Well, now I seem like a bad friend,” Jasmine chimed in. “I’ll get coffee and muffins tomorrow morning!”

“You really don’t have to,” you said, touched by the unexpected offers. “I don’t know what I did to deserve such good friends like you. Especially so early on in the year.”

“We’re always gonna be here for you, okay?” Pippa held her pinkie out towards you, and you smiled, interlocking it with your own. 

“Plus, you’re gonna need help with getting your man tomorrow.” Jasmine added, locking her pinkie around the two of yours, making you all giggle.

Your grin fell into a pout, realizing what she had said as you chided, “Jazz!”

She shrugged unapologetically and commented, “Someone had to say it.” 

Folding your arms, you turned away from them and muttered, “I’m going to bed.” 

The other two laughed though, and you couldn’t help but smile to yourself as you arranged your pillow to be comfortable. You really couldn’t ask for better friends. Although you had huge plans and some worries, you knew you could deal with them with hem by your side.

As you finally got comfortable, blanket wrapped around the three of you like burritos plus your head sunk in a pillow, you whispered a good night and turned off your lamp. You could already feel yourself slipping away when you heard a strange buzz near you. You felt Jasmine shift out of your blanket, answering her phone quietly. There was a bunch of rambling coming from the line, and you could see Jasmine's eyes widening. 

“What is it?” You mouthed to Jasmine as she recovered her senses.

“Nothing,” she mouthed back, crawling out of the fort and rushing out the door. “Be right back.”

Well, she didn’t leave you much to work with. One glance to Pippa and you knew you didn’t have a choice. You had to see what was going on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for sticking with me my loves, you get me through the highs and lows. Kudos and comments are really appreciated. I would love to hear what you would want from me in the future! Xo -Val


End file.
